Measuring the Width of the Wealth Gap

Closer examination of the differences between the incomes of the rich and the poor shows that benefits tend to flow more toward the affluent

By Wang Xiaolu

Recent findings by China Society of Economic Reform (CSER) have offered a rare glimpse into growing income inequality in the country.

The study shows that in 2011 unidentified "gray income," or the difference between CSER-surveyed income and that of the official household survey, totaled 6.2 trillion yuan, or 12 percent of GDP. The richest 10 percent of families had an annual income that was 21 times the lowest 10 percent, much higher than the official estimate of 8.6.

Measuring the Width of the Wealth Gap

Closer examination of the differences between the incomes of the rich and the poor shows that benefits tend to flow more toward the affluent

Recent findings by China Society of Economic Reform (CSER) have offered a rare glimpse into growing income inequality in the country.

The study shows that in 2011 unidentified "gray income," or the difference between CSER-surveyed income and that of the official household survey, totaled 6.2 trillion yuan, or 12 percent of GDP. The richest 10 percent of families had an annual income that was 21 times the lowest 10 percent, much higher than the official estimate of 8.6.

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